Systems and methods for an improved self-checkout with speed tender transaction options

ABSTRACT

A checkout apparatus including a self-checkout unit having a product identification device, a payment identification device, a microprocessor and a point-of-sale system configured to allow a touchless speed tender transaction. The invention also includes an apparatus and method for offering a mode-driven and/or customer-driven checkout transaction.

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/346,776filed on Nov. 9, 2016, which is a divisional of U.S. Pat. No. 9,563,886,issued on Feb. 7, 2017, that is based on and claims benefit of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/637,356, filed on Apr. 4,2012.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods forautomated self-checkouts, and more particularly to unattendedself-checkout systems and methods including speed tender options.

BACKGROUND

In a retail type environment, the efficiency with which consumers areable to process, pay for and purchase their desired items factors intothe expenses for a retail type establishment. The labor hoursattributable to manning checkout counters contributes greatly to thisexpense. In a typical retail operation, a shopper gathers the itemsdesired for purchase and presents them at a checkout counter, a clerkthen scans or enters the items' barcodes and the point-of-sale (POS)system totals the shopper's bill. The clerk may apply any promotionaldiscounts to the bill, the shopper tenders payment, and the items may bebagged for the customer. A number of self-service automated checkoutterminal concepts have been developed in an attempt to reduce the needfor a check-out clerk, thus reducing associated labor costs.

Toward reducing operating expenses, some businesses have implementedself-checkout counters that substitute for individual clerks and baggersat each checkout terminal. Self-checkout terminals are systems which areoperated mainly by a customer without the direct aid of a checkoutclerk. In such a system, the customer scans, selects or entersindividual items for purchase, for example, across a scanner or screenand then places the selected items into a grocery type bag, if desired.The customer then pays for his or her purchase either at theself-service checkout terminal or at a central payment area. Thus, aself-service checkout terminal permits a customer to select, itemize andeven pay for his or her purchases without the direct assistance of theretailer's personnel at each individual checkout terminal.

Self-checkout systems are also useful in other types of unattendedenvironments, such as, employee break rooms, hotel vending areas,business lobby settings or hospitals. One of the many benefits ofself-checkout systems is that they allow quick consumer-operatedtransactions, resulting in high throughput. This high throughput has tobe balanced with a transaction that allows new self-checkout users tofeel in control of and comfortable with the transaction. Someself-checkout users quickly adapt and become comfortable with aself-checkout transaction and prefer to move as quickly as possiblethrough the transaction while others, such as new users, still needguidance through the transaction. It is to these and other problems thatthis disclosure is directed.

SUMMARY

As self-checkouts become more prevalent and customary for point-of-saletransactions, a mixture of proficient and new users will be involved intransactions at the same kiosk. Applicant realizes it is desirable toaccommodate proficient, power users of an unattended kiosk but not atthe expense of alienating more timid users. Less confident and new usersusually like to press the buttons on the touch screen to tell the systemwhat task they are performing throughout the course of theirtransaction. However, power users typically do not want or need this,and would prefer not to have to touch the screen at all.

Developing a speed tender option also allows health minded consumers toproceed through a transaction without the necessity of touching buttonsor the screen repeatedly in order to check-out. This allows the benefitof the user not being exposed to germs that may accumulate at a stationwhere there is high turn-over of customers touching the same touchscreen or buttons.

Minimizing the necessity to move through the transaction in a touch-lessfashion also reduces the wear on the touch screen, thus, extending thelife of the touch screen and the associated parts. This produces aneconomic savings and an eco-friendly result.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art after a reading of the following description ofthe preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one example of an improvedself-checkout system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2a is a flow chart illustrating one example of a self-checkouttransaction with a speed tendering option with prepaid card payment;

FIG. 2b is a flow chart illustrating one example of a self-checkouttransaction with a speed tendering option with credit card payment;

FIG. 2c is a flow chart illustrating one example of a self-checkouttransaction with a speed tendering option with a prepaid payment whileloyalty points are active; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating one example of a self-checkouttransaction with a speed tendering option illustrating certain variablesas compared to variables associated with a standard tenderingtransaction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, like reference characters designate likeor corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also in thefollowing description, it is to be understood that such terms as“forward,” “rearward,” “left,” “right,” “upwardly,” “downwardly,” andthe like are words of convenience and are not to be construed aslimiting terms.

It will be understood that the illustrations are for the purpose ofdescribing an exemplary embodiment of the invention and are not intendedto limit the invention thereto. As best seen in FIG. 1, generallydesignated 10, one example of an automated self-checkout system isshown. Typically, self-checkout systems include at least one kiosk. Thekiosk usually includes a housing 11, typically of compact design, whichaccommodates or houses the other aspects of the self-checkout system.The housing 11 may be a pre-existing structure at the installation siteof the self-checkout system, may resemble the housing as shown in FIG.1, or may take on other shapes able to accommodate the other aspects ofthe invention.

The kiosk may also include input modules 12, output modules 14 andtransaction modules 16. The input module 12, as seen in FIG. 1 may be,for example, a coupon-in center, credit/debit card reader, or a paymentcenter. The input module 12 may typically be supported on, integral to,or attached to the housing 11. Input module 12 is arranged to acceptinput about or for the transaction, for example, from items beingpurchased by recognizing the item, such as through selection on thedisplay 20 by the customer or by recognition of an identification orcode. A bar code scanner would be another example of an input module 12suitably found in the kiosk. Other examples, inter alia, may include oneor more keypads to key in information, RFID reader, a microphonepotentially with voice recognition software, a touch screen keypad, avideo camera, tablet computer, wireless communication receiver, a creditcard reader, a debit card reader, a smart card reader, a cash receiver awireless transmission, a mobile phone, and/or any of these incombination.

Output module 14, may include a coin-out center, a cash-out centerand/or a receipt center. Output module 14 is arranged to provide andreceive information during a transaction. Output module 14 may provideinstructions to the purchaser or provide feedback from input receivedthrough Input module 12. For example, the identification and recordedprice of scanned items may be displayed to the customer on display 20.In the case of a touch screen display, purchasers may also inputinformation making the display serve as both a part of the input module12 and output module 14. A speaker (not shown) may also serve to provideinformation to consumers. Other examples of output module 14 may includea private printing page, a link transmitting to a handheld device suchas a mobile phone or tablet computer or the like.

Transaction module 16 may include centers accommodated by housing 11where parts of the transaction occur, such as the bagger 16 andpotentially an auxiliary bagger. Transaction module 16 may also include,by way of example, weigh centers, bumper guards or transaction shelvingcenters.

The kiosk may further include, a controller (not shown), operativelyconnected to the input module 12 and output module 14. The controllerhas programming arranged to process information from the input module12, such as the items being purchased in the transaction, and to provideinformation through output module 14 to the customer to allow completionof a customer transaction through system 10.

A controller, such as a microprocessor, may be in the kiosk or storedatabase computer, and usually includes an associated memory. Thecontroller includes input/output ports in order to receive informationfrom and to provide information to the modules included in the kiosk. Byway of example, the controller receives information from the inputmodule 12 and provides data to the output module 14. The controller mayhave a clock component so that elapsed time between events can bedetermined. Other configurations of times can be used.

The computer system may include a main memory or a secondary memory, orboth, that may communicate with the controller. The main memory isgenerally a random access memory (RAM) that may include an item bufferfor temporarily holding identification information corresponding toscanned items before the items are verified by the kiosk. On the otherhand, the secondary memory with standard input/output ports may includeany storage medium such as but not limited to a hard disk drive, a SCSIdrive, a removable storage drive or removable storage units andinterface. Alternatively, the secondary memory may include handheldcomputing devices, as well as, one or more databases such as a look-updatabase that includes SKU number, price, item codes, tolerance rangefor the item or for a class of items, and corresponding weight, height,length, or width for each item in the store. This database may reside onone or more of different or additional computers such as at a centralstore server or a remote server outside of the location.

Additionally, it is contemplated that the kiosk may not include a mainmemory. In this situation, the controller may communicate with thesecondary memory which may be a remote server, for example, accessed vialocal area network or global networking such as the Internet orIntranet, and refresh a display screen with information and softwarestored in the remote server.

Currently, unattended self-checkout systems are designed for the noviceor new user to step consumers through a sequence of actions that arerequired to complete a transaction successfully. These steps, by way ofexample, may include, but are not limited to, invoking an initialtransaction state, scanning items, invoking a checkout state, choosing aform of tender, and scanning a prepaid card or swiping a credit card.Almost all steps above may be required in order for the consumer tocomplete a simple transaction even if the purchase is of a single item.Between each of these consumer actions, the system provides instructionsfor completing each step, which compounds the duration and complexity ofthe transaction.

Unattended vending self-checkout systems may reside in employee breakrooms where staggered lunch shifts and work breaks cause several massiveinfluxes of consumers at specific times throughout each work day. Theseinfluxes cause lines to form at the kiosks. It is not unusual for manyof the consumers to have prepaid cards with stored value that isdecremented with each purchase, and which the consumer may increment attheir choosing using cash or credit at the kiosk.

Applicant realized, that especially in unattended vending environments,consumers typically purchase either only one or two items pertransaction. Current kiosk systems require up to five discrete consumeractions to purchase a single item. During the course of a single lunchshift, the accumulation of the four or five discrete actions pertransaction causes a number of undesirable things to occur,including: 1) Long checkout lines form and move slowly, even when themajority of consumers are buying only one or two items; 2) Kiosk touchscreens receive maximum use, which leads to significant wear and tear,more frequent servicing and replacement, a higher cost of ownership, andultimately a non-optimal scenario in terms of the system's environmentalimpact, and; 3) Germs are transferred between and among consumers viathe touch screen just before eating, which is a particularly inopportunetime.

The unattended vending kiosk is a relatively new system, and the methodscomprising its interactive design have been modeled on relatedconsumer-facing transaction systems that have preceded it, such asconventional self-checkout lanes in grocery retail environments. In aneffort to improve adoption rates, conventional self-checkout systemshave been deliberately designed to mirror the discrete interactions thathave long existed between consumers and cashiers in traditional checkoutenvironments.

While the trend in the art is to provide discrete interaction points forself-checkouts, their residual presence in newer self-checkouts andunattended vending kiosk systems, Applicant believes, may surprisinglybe cumbersome and a burden to a large subset of current self-checkout,and especially, kiosk users.

The new system and method disclosed is adapted to allow a touch-lessspeed tendering option for completing a transaction at a self-checkoutor vending self-checkout kiosk (shown in FIG. 2a -3 as touchless speedtendering). The checkout process may be expedited, especially at avending kiosk, by reducing the number of discrete actions required topurchase an item. Modifications to certain peripheral devices, such asthe bar code scanner and the magnetic credit card swipe, allowprogression of an expedited transaction. The system of the invention hasbeen modified so that such devices detect and perform actions based uponconsumer actions made directly with these devices, such as scanning aprepaid card or swiping a credit card. Prior to the invention, consumerswere required to press buttons on the touch screen to tell the systemwhat they wanted to do next, such as “checkout now,” “pay with prepaidcard,” or “pay with credit card.” Therefore, previously the system couldonly perform in a specific mode that made it capable only of processinga subsequent consumer action that corresponded to that mode. When thismode was invoked, the system instructed the consumer to perform theaction they had just indicated they were about to perform. It was a modedriven application through a consumer transaction, whereas Applicant'sinvention allows an interactive transaction based upon the consumerinput.

By modifying the manner in which the devices, such as the scanner and/orthe magnetic stripe reader detect input, interpret that input based onconfigurable conditions, and perform subsequent processes that combineformerly multiple interaction steps into a single step, Applicant hasinvented a system and method by which touch-less speed tendering may beimplemented.

In one embodiment, the invention may work with two tenders: prepaidcards and credit cards. However, the invention encompasses embodimentsthat are effective with all other forms of tendering and/or the devicesand technologies used to enable those tenders. One example mightinclude, but should not be limited to, biometric authentication forprepaid accounts, charge accounts, credit/debit payments, and EBT/WIC.Near-field communication technology could also be used and is to beconsidered within the scope of this invention. While near-fieldtechnologies have been used with vending machines where the machineitself disperses the product and therefore has data about that product,it is novel to use such technology in connection with a system in whichthe customer undertakes a step (such as scanning a bar code) to tell themachine what product is being purchased.

Many self-checkouts allow for the use of loyalty points, an option oftenpopular with consumers, especially in a vending scenario. Applicantexperienced difficulty implementing the speed tendering option on kioskshonoring loyalty points because when the vending kiosk was modified toinclude the option of a loyalty points system, the loyalty and speedtendering would not work in tandem with one another. The speed tenderingwould only work if the loyalty was not activated because the loyaltypoints setting usually gives the user the choice to either 1) applyavailable loyalty points or 2) save loyalty points for later use, anoption which contrasted with the speed tendering design. However, toaddress this limitation, Applicant further modified the system andmethods to provide consumers with an account console where they have theoption to change preferences at any time. In one embodiment, forexample, consumers may have an option to “always apply available loyaltypoints without asking” to the consumer's account console preferences.Therefore, the invention could by-pass applying the limitation of“applying-now-or-saving-for-later,” thereby enabling the touch-lessspeed tender option even in conjunction with loyalty point scenarios.

In another embodiment, the consumer preferences may be configurable sothat touch-less speed tendering enables an “opt out of printed receipt”option. In this embodiment, the consumer triggering touch-less speedtendering tells the system not to ask the consumer if they would like areceipt at the end of the transaction, and again avoids the need totouch the screen or await a longer transaction.

In an effort to accommodate the technical competency deviations thatexist across consumers with regard to conducting vending andself-checkout kiosk transactions, the touch-less speed tendering isdesigned to work in tandem with the more traditional self-checkout thatinvolves multiple discrete interactions as described above. By embodyingboth methods in the same system, consumers are able to use the systemthat best suits their comfort level and mental model of the system. Moretimid users can learn from confident user over time by watching them usethe touch-less speed tendering option, and convert over to using it whenthey are ready to direct a transaction in that manner.

In operation, and as illustrated in FIG. 2a-c , new, less confidentusers may progress through a transaction, by way of example, byselecting a button or an option on the welcome screen, such as to“start” or to “start scanning.” The system may then display a readyscreen and/or prompts the user to scan the first item. The user scans anitem and a virtual receipt may be displayed. The user may be prompted toscan another item or to checkout. If the user selects the “checkout now”button, then the user is prompted to select their method of payment,typically a prepaid card 2 a, credit card 2 b, and/or prepaid card withloyalty functions activated 2 c. If the user selects the prepaid card,then the system prompts the user to scan the prepaid card. Once the cardis scanned, the system decrements the prepaid card balance and thetransaction ends.

In contrast, a power user approaches the welcome screen and scans theitem for purchase. The user then scans, for example, a prepaid card, thesystem decrements the prepaid card balance and the transaction iscompleted. The user is not required to touch the screen or respond tothe incremental modes usually required for self-checkout. The user'sactions interact with the system to determine a standard checkoutscenario or a speed tender transaction. Several power users may be ableto complete transactions in the time it takes one user to complete thestandard mode directed transaction. And, the power user never has totouch any part of the kiosk. She/he passes the product near the bar codereader without touching it and touches only his/her payment card as itis read by a scanner or other reading device. That user, then that mayhave just bought a snack, can move quickly through the transaction andcan also eat it without fear of infection of germs from the checkouttransaction.

FIG. 3 illustrates the time savings per transaction and how that timesavings expand over time to provide a true business and consumer benefitfrom the optional touchless speed tender system. Time per transaction ismore than doubled by standard tendering versus touchless speedtendering, resulting in around 60 hours of transaction time involvedwith touchless tenders versus 180 hours of transaction time withstandard keyed kiosk tender transactions. Users are required to maneuverthrough less steps and average 0 screen touches with touchless speedtender as compared to an average of 3 screen touches per transaction. Ina year's time, that equates to 0 screen touches with speed tender ascompared to 360,000 screen touches with standard tendering. The screentouch impact over time versus standard tender transactions and the germtransfer impact with touch-less speed tendering as compared to standardtendering is staggering and provides clear benefits to Applicant'stouchless speed tender in addition to the decrease in transaction time.

In one embodiment, a checkout apparatus includes a self-checkout unithaving a product identification device, a payment identification device,a microprocessor and memory operatively associated with one another toidentify products being purchased, payments tendered therefor and tostore transaction information locally or remotely. The microprocessorhas programming configured to allow a user to enter an item in a productidentification device, and to enter a payment token in the paymentidentification device and thereby complete the transaction from thecustomer's point of view. By way of example, the product identificationdevice and/or the payment identification device may be a scanner, cardreader, voice command enabled device and/or gestural command enableddevice.

The product identification device and the payment identification deviceare each configured so the customer can present, for example, scan theproduct to be purchased and payment token and complete the transactionfrom the customer's point of view without ever touching the checkoutapparatus. The programming also provides prompts to a user to allowtouch-screen interaction with the self-checkout to indicate that theuser wants to checkout and pay for a purchase, to provide guidance tothe user to enter an item in the product identification device, andallow the user to touch an input device of the checkout apparatus toindicate if a selected plurality of purchases has already been enteredin the product identification device and to enter a payment token in thepayment identification device.

In another embodiment, a self-checkout kiosk includes a self-checkoutstation having a housing and a customer interface. The customerinterface may include a product identification device. The kioskincludes a point-of-sale system having a microprocessor and memoryoperatively associated with one another to identify products beingpurchased, payments tendered therefor and to store transactioninformation locally at the checkout station or remotely from thecheckout station. The point-of-sale system may include programmingconfigured to allow completion of a touchless customer routetransaction. The point-of-sale system may also include a standard, forexample by touch-screen, customer route transaction option. Thepoint-of-sale system may be configured so that customer activation of aperipheral device triggers the system to enter the touchless customerroute transaction. Peripheral devices may include, by way of example, ascanner or other various input devices as previously discussed.

The self-checkout station may also include a detection module fordetecting a customer's actions. The detection module senses a customer'stouchless or standard touch input through the peripheral devices such asa scanner or push buttons. If a touchless transaction is detected thenthe station enters a customer-driven mode where the transaction isresponsive and guided by the customer's actions and input throughout anexpedited touchless transaction. If a touch transaction is detected,then the check-out process proceeds in a mode-driven transaction wherethe self-checkout station enters a mode and the consumer is asked torespond accordingly to the transaction mode.

Also disclosed is a method of allowing an expedited transaction optionincluding providing a self-checkout unit having a product identificationdevice, a payment identification device, a microprocessor and a memoryoperatively associated with one another to identify products beingpurchased and payment tendered therefore; allowing a customer to choosean expedited self-checkout transaction; recognizing a customer's choicefor an expedited self-checkout; and skipping a mode-driven transactionwhen a customer chooses an expedited self-checkout. Also include may beaccepting a customer payment by recognizing a payment token placed nearthe self-checkout kiosk to allow the kiosk to identify a payment optionrepresented by the token, and thereby completing the transaction fromthe customer's point of view, without the customer touching theself-checkout kiosk. A standard touch-screen customer route transactionoption may be offered optionally.

The invention may also be considered a method of making aconsumer-driven sale to a customer including providing an inventory ofdifferent items marked with an identification code so that thedifferences in the items are represented in differing identificationcodes; reading the identification code when one of the items marked withan identification code is presented near a self-checkout kiosk toidentify the item; and reading a payment token when it is presented nearthe self-checkout kiosk to allow the kiosk to identify a payment optionto pay for the item read in the previous step. The payment option may beindicated by the token, without the customer touching the self-checkoutkiosk.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It should beunderstood that all such modifications and improvements have beendeleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but areproperly within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A checkout apparatus comprising: a checkout unithaving a product identification device, a payment identification device,a microprocessor and memory operatively associated with one another toidentify products being purchased, payments tendered therefor and tostore transaction information locally or remotely, a detection module incommunication with the microprocessor and configured to detect a productinput and direct a mode-drive or touchless consumer driven transactionprogression, and a point-of-sale system having a touchless speedtendering programming configured to allow completion of the touchlessconsumer driven transaction progression, wherein the detection module iscommunicatively coupled with the touchless speed tendering programmingand at least one peripheral device, the detection module configured tobe in communication with the at least one peripheral device, theperipheral device configured to detect and perform actions based upon aninitial customer action made directly and touchlessly with the at leastone peripheral device to begin the touchless checkout transaction,wherein the touchless speed tendering programming is configured to:based upon the initial customer action recognized at the at least oneperipheral device, initiate the touchless consumer driven transaction,bypass limitations requiring a customer selection on the display inorder to progress through the transaction at the checkout unit, andallow the customer to pay touchlessly and to complete the touchlesscheckout transaction without touching the checkout unit screen, whereinthe microprocessor includes programming configured to allow a user toenter an item in the product identification device, and to allow acustomer to choose an expedited checkout transaction without requiringscreen selection during the transaction.
 2. A checkout apparatus asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the product identification device and thepayment identification device are each configured so the customer canenter the product to be purchased and a payment token and complete thetransaction without ever touching the checkout apparatus display.
 3. Acheckout apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the programming alsoprovides prompts to a user to allow touch-screen interaction optionswith the checkout to indicate that the user wants to checkout and payfor a purchase, to provide guidance to the user to scan an item in the aproduct identification scanner, and allow the user to touch an inputdevice of the checkout apparatus to indicate if a selected plurality ofpurchases has already been scanned in the product identification scannerand to scan a payment token at the payment identification device.
 4. Acheckout apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the paymentidentification device is a card reader.
 5. The checkout apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the point-of-sale system includes a standardtouch-screen customer route transaction option.
 6. The checkoutapparatus of claim 1 wherein the customer interface includes a productidentification device.
 7. The checkout apparatus of claim 6 wherein theproduct identification device is a scanner.
 8. The checkout apparatus ofclaim 1 including a payment identification device.
 9. The checkoutapparatus of claim 8 wherein the payment identification device includesa scanner.
 10. The checkout apparatus of claim 1 wherein thepoint-of-sale system is configured so that customer activation of aperipheral device triggers the system to enter the touchless checkouttransaction.
 11. The checkout apparatus of claim 1 wherein theself-checkout station includes a detection module for detecting acustomer's actions and wherein the transaction is responsive and guidedby the customer's actions throughout an expedited touchless transaction.12. The checkout apparatus of claim 4 wherein scanning a credit card forpayment of a touchless checkout transaction is considered a touchlessconsumer input.
 13. The checkout apparatus of claim 11 further includinga console preferences module.
 14. The checkout apparatus of claim 13wherein the customer's actions include scanning a customer loyalty card.15. A checkout apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the paymentidentification device is a biometric authentication for a prepaidaccount.